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Toxin-Free Farmlands Rise to 4.1 Million Acres Michele Paccione/Shutterstock.com
According to data service Mercaris, the U.S. had a record 4.1 million acres of organic farmland in 2016, an 11 percent increase over 2014. As of June 2016, the number of certified organic farms reached 14,979, including 1,000 startups. The top states in organic cropland after California, with 688,000 acres, are Mon tana, Wisconsin, New York and North Dakota. Montana hosted a 30 percent increase to 417,000 acres in 2016, adding 100,000 acres since 2014 and 50 new organic farms. In assessing the positive trend, Scott Shander, a Mercaris economist, says, “With today’s lower commodity grain prices, farmers are looking to add value and meet consumer demands. The global market is dictating U.S. prices. Demand for organic corn and soybeans is still growing strongly, but production is not growing as fast, so more of the production will be international.”
Stand Up March for Science this Earth Day
Source: MercarisCompany.com
Water Saver
Teen Finds Drought Solution in South Africa Kiara Nirghin, a South African teenage girl and recent winner of the Google Science Fair’s Community Impact Award for the Middle East and Africa, is pioneering a new technology to fight drought. The Holy Web, her super-absorbent polymer, can store reserves of water hundreds of times its own weight. Drought remains one of South Africa’s main challenges, with at least eight provinces requiring regular food relief. The project is designed to help farmers in dry areas build large water reservoirs for an adequate and regular supply of water for irrigation. “I wanted to minimize the effect that drought has on the community, and the main thing it affects is the crops. That was the springboard for the idea,” says Nirghin. Her invention uses recycled and biodegradable waste products such as avocado skins and orange peels to make the polymer sustainable, affordable and environmentally friendly. Source: CNN
DIVAGIRL CONFERENCE
Philadelphia • May 20 12
Philadelphia, PA
NAPhilly.com
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Growing Organics
Concerned citizens will unite on April 22 for a March for Science in Washington, D.C., and locations around the world to champion robustly funding and publicly communicating science for the common good as a pillar of freedom and prosperity. The group is calling on political leaders and policymakers to enact evidence-based standards in the public interest. The focus will showcase science as a tool to find answers and influence decisions at all levels, from astronomy to zoology, including environmental science and climate change. Jacquelyn Gill, Ph.D., was part of the original group sparking the idea of a March for Science via her initial tweet. “We know how to keep our air and water clean, and the outcomes of the research should inform the policy,” says Gill, an assistant professor of paleoecology and plant ecology at the University of Maine. Caroline Weinberg, a New York City science writer and program cochairwoman, says, “Within hours, satellite marches were popping up around the country, then the world.” Organizers report several hundred established event locations and the number continues to grow. To join or create an event, visit MarchForScience.com/ satellite-marches.